July 27, 2006 - East African immigrants are organizing a gathering in St. Paul today. They hope to air concerns and insights that will improve the plight of their people still living in Ethiopia. The conference focuses mainly on human rights violations by the government against the Oromo people. Minnesota is believed to be home to the largest concentration of Oromos in the United States. They have established a base camp of sorts to speak out against abuses in a way they can't in their homeland. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
June 16, 2006 - Currently, a person needs either a passport or a birth certificate to apply for medicaid. Starting July 1, people applying for medicaid will need to prove their citizenship before even applying. Opponents of the bill argue that eligible, low-income patients will have trouble accessing these documents.
May 16, 2006 - US Surgeon General Carmona comes from a troubled background. He spoke to the graduates of the University of Minnesota public health school, saying that prevention is the only real solution to the nation's and world's health problems.
April 4, 2006 - After a killing in Uptown this week, Minneapolis Homicide Commander Lee Edwards spoke in front of a Minneapolis police station, saying that there are still three suspects on the run. He delivered a stern warning, saying things will not get better if they hide longer.
November 22, 2005 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports that two Minnesota legislators are proposing a bill to guard against invasive species hitchhiking in ocean-going ships on Lake Superior. The legislation would require big international ships that travel in Lake Superior to treat ballast water before dumping it into the lake.
May 26, 2005 - Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the 2.8-billion dollar higher education funding bill today (THURSDAY) in Rochester. It's the first major budget legislation to pass in the regular session. Lawmakers continue to meet in special session to patch significant gaps in the remaining two year state budget. The state's college and university leaders say the recent session was much better for higher ed than past efforts. But students and others say the progress isn't enough. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
May 19, 2005 - The Twin Cities area offers refuge for many immigrant groups from around the globe escaping social and political problems in their homelands. One such group is the Oromo people from Ethiopia. The Twin Cities is home to one of the largest populations of Ethiopian immigrants in the United States. The many varied cultures and disparate groups from the eastern African nation makes national identity a complex and touchy issue. The Oromo find fertile ground in the Twin Cities for speaking out against claims of human rights abuses in their homeland. Meanwhile, relationships with fellow Ethiopian immigrants remain strained because of a long history of political differences. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes has another in our series of "Think Global" reports.
May 18, 2005 - Former Minneapolis Mayor Art Naftalin has died. Naftalin was a friend and aide to Humbert Humphrey. He also served as state Commissioner of Administration and hosted a public affairs TV show for twenty years. Friends and family remember Naftalin as a compassionate and highly educated leader who navigated the city through the turbulent 1960s. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
May 15, 2005 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on Minneapolis DFL convention results. A 12-hour convention for the Minneapolis DFL party over the weekend failed to produce an endorsement for either Mayor R.T. Rybak or challenger Peter McLaughlin. After five ballots, McLaughlin was leading 53 percent to Rybak's 45 percent before the delegates voted to award no endorsement. The two candidates now head for the primary.
May 6, 2005 - Minneapolis' oldest library reopens tomorrow after more than year-and-a-half long renovation. The nearly four million dollar remodel of the Franklin Community Library aims to create a more accessible and welcoming entryway and accentuates many of the building's historic details. The designers also want to make a more efficient space to better embrace one of the city's most diverse neighborhoods.